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THE SOCIOLOGY OF THE LEGENDARY GODDESS NINA SIMONE

November 6, 2018

“To me, we are the most beautiful creatures in the whole world. Black people. And I mean that in every sense.” — Nina Simone

Shout all the way out to Wesleyan University professor Courtney Patterson-Faye for offering what sounds like an incredible, perspective-shifting course called, The Sociology of Nina Simone! Not only an academic survey of Simone’s massive body of work, but the course is also a study of the complicated inner world and personal life including her battles with racism, sexism, and mental illness. The lectures will also explore her relationships with other Black artists like Lorraine Hansberry and Miriam Makeba. Using Black Feminist theory and womanist analytical frameworks, students are unpacking the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy and its effects on this magical woman, her social justice, and her career.